More Than Just a Hebrew Class

Beside January representing the secular New Year, January is also the third anniversary I share with two dear friends. During the fall of 2013, Resa Davids, a long time member of WRJ, wanted to connect people in Israel to people in the United States with the goal of learning Hebrew.  There were no “rules” per say, whatever worked for each group was fine. For our group, she matched 3 people, 2 from Texas and 1 from Haifa. Rather, Deborah Nof of Haifa volunteered to teach two strangers across the world, Renee Roth and myself.

We began with a book called Aleph Isn’t Tough.  This was supposed to be a play on words, which clearly went over my head as I had no Hebrew background.  Growing up in Great Falls, Montana, my Judaism came from my parents around the Shabbat table.  We occasionally had visits from a traveling rabbi but formal education was not available.  Renee had some background in Hebrew both from her family and Temple, as well as her exposure to Hebrew while teaching secular studies at Jewish day schools in Dallas.  We were both eager students and jumped in, meeting weekly by Skype.

It wasn’t long before we began sharing about ourselves and our families.  January of 2013 also found my youngest daughter, Arianna, in Israel with the Eisendrath International Exchange (EIE) program.  Arianna was outside Jerusalem at Kibbutz Tzuba.  She was invited to Haifa to visit Deborah and her family where they graciously entertained Arianna and another EIE student.  Over the years, we have shared the ups and downs of life from the loss of parents to the simcha of weddings.  We have laughed together, cried together, and learned Hebrew together.  The learning curve has at times been difficult for us, but Deborah will not give up.  She has been a wonderful teacher who brings a variety of skills to the table. 

At times, her children have also gotten involved, attempting to teach the lesson. We are now finishing our second book, Aleph Isn’t Enough, and are looking for another book to continue our education. This past September, Renee and her husband had the opportunity to visit Israel.  The trip could not be complete without meeting Deborah and her family.  For the first time, they could spend a day together and share a meal. Deborah has given so much of her time and of herself, and Renee and I are both so grateful. 

As I understand, of the several groups that started Hebrew study, ours is the only one that continues. What started out as an educational opportunity has turned into that and so much more. As we begin our 4^th year of learning together, I look forward to chatting with my friends, sharing more life cycle events, and possibly meeting up somewhere around the globe.  And of course, continuing to learn Hebrew!

חזק חזק ונתחז
Be strong, be strong, and we will be strengthened.